Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a suction foundation. More particularly, the present invention relates to a suction foundation having an enhanced self-weight penetration, whereby when the suction foundation is landed on a seabed by its own weight, the suction foundation is penetrated into the seabed by a vacuum pressure of a suction pump, thereby providing a desired foundation support force.
Background
Generally, a suction foundation is a foundation for providing a foundation support force to install a structure in the sea.
Normally, penetration of a foundation has been performed by vibrating, striking, or water jetting, but in recent years, a suction foundation has been widely used, whereby the suction foundation penetrates into a seabed by difference of hydraulic pressures generated between an inside and an outside of the suction foundation by a suction pump.
To be specific, a hollow caisson of the suction foundation penetrates into the seabed while a water pump forcefully discharges a fluid in the hollow caisson to an outside thereof after the hollow caisson having an opening at a lower end thereof and having a tub shape is penetrated into the seabed by its own weight.
That is, the suction foundation requires being penetrated into the seabed by its own weight before the water pump forcefully discharges fluid in the hollow caisson to the outside thereof.
A penetration caused by the self-weight of the suction foundation is required to be performed at an initial stage for installing the suction foundation, which is very important, since whether the suction foundation can be penetrated into a seabed by suction of the water pump depends on an amount of initial self-weight penetration of the suction foundation when the suction foundation is landed on the seabed by its own weight. When the amount of the initial self-weight penetration is small, suction pressure of the water pump may leak, thereby making the penetration of the suction foundation impossible.
To solve the above-mentioned problem, technologies have been developed to increase an amount of initial self-weight penetration of the suction foundation.
As a related art of the present invention, there is a suction pile presented in “Piling Apparatus of Suction Pile” disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-1175206 (patent document 1).
According to the related art, as shown in FIG. 8, the piling apparatus of suction pile includes: a suction pile 1 penetrating into the seabed; the suction pump 2 provided on an outer surface of the suction pile 1, the suction pump 2 discharging water in the suction pile 1 to an outside thereof; and a rotating part 3 rotating the suction pile 1.
Here, as shown in FIG. 8, the suction pile 1 of the related art is provided with a series of teeth 1a formed along a circumference of a lower end of the suction pile 1. Due to the sharp ends of the teeth 1a, the suction pile 1 can stably land on the seabed, thereby increasing the amount of initial self-weight penetration of the suction pile 1.
However, when the suction pile 1 of the related art lands on a hard seabed, the series of teeth 1a may be deformed or damaged by the hard seabed, so the suction pile 1 may fail to perform efficient penetration.
Meanwhile, although the piling apparatus of suction pile according to the related art is configured to rotate the suction pile 1 by the rotating part 3 so as to efficiently penetrate the suction pile 1 into the seabed, the suction pile 1 can be forcefully rotated only by the rotating part 3, but it is impossible to induce the suction pile 1 to rotate on its own.
In addition, referring to a suction pile disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-1199348 (patent document 2) as another related art, the suction pile is provided with an end shoe formed into the shape of a saw blade at a lower end of the suction pile, thereby increasing the amount of initial self-weight penetration of the suction pile, but there is no element capable of preventing the end shoe from being damaged. Thus, the suction pile may fail to perform efficient penetration, and further, this technology cannot induce a rotation of the penetrating suction pile.
The information disclosed in the Background of the Invention section is only for the enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or as any form of suggestion that this information forms a prior art that would already be known to a person skilled in the art.